Salade d’Endives, Roquefort et Noix Recipe

This Salade d’Endives, Roquefort et Noix recipe brings together crisp Belgian endive, creamy Roquefort cheese, tart Granny Smith apple, and toasted walnuts for a beautifully balanced French salad. Featured on Dinner in Paris with host Romain Avril, this refreshing dish is tossed with a bright Dijon vinaigrette made with olive oil, red wine vinegar, fresh lemon juice, salt, and black pepper.

The Inspiration

Salade d’Endives, Roquefort et Noix is a classic example of French salad making, where contrasting flavours and textures are brought together with a simple vinaigrette. Instead of relying on a long ingredient list, the recipe focuses on a handful of distinctive ingredients that complement one another naturally.

On Dinner in Paris, host Romain Avril combines Belgian endive with Roquefort, walnuts, and crisp green apple. Belgian endive provides the fresh, slightly bitter foundation of the salad. Its firm leaves and crunchy texture make it sturdy enough to hold up to the cheese, nuts, fruit, and vinaigrette without becoming limp immediately after dressing.

The vinaigrette ties everything together without masking the individual ingredients. Red wine vinegar and lemon juice provide acidity, Dijon mustard adds classic French sharpness, and olive oil rounds out the dressing. Salt and black pepper complete the seasoning.

Ingredients

4 Belgian endives
1 green apple (Granny Smith), peeled and cored and cut into bite size pieces
100 g (3.5 oz) Roquefort cheese, crumbled
60 g (½ cup) walnuts, toasted
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
Juice of 1/2 lemon
5 tsp Dijon mustard
Salt and black pepper

Method

Trim base of endives and remove any damaged outer leaves.
Slice lengthwise into long matchsticks around 1/2 inch wide.
Place endives in a mixing bowl with chopped apple, walnuts and cheese.
In a separate little bowl, whisk olive oil, vinegar, lemon juice, mustard, salt and pepper.
Pour dressing over salad and toss gently. Plate and enjoy!

Serving Suggestions

This French endive salad with Roquefort and walnuts is especially well suited to serving as an appetizer or side dish before a larger French-inspired meal. Its crisp texture and bright vinaigrette make it an excellent contrast to richer dishes such as roasted meats, creamy soups, or buttery seafood.

For a light lunch, serve a larger portion with crusty French bread or toasted baguette. The bread provides a neutral accompaniment to the bold Roquefort and tangy Dijon vinaigrette while making the salad feel more substantial.

The salad is best assembled shortly before serving so the Belgian endive and Granny Smith apple retain their crisp texture. The walnuts should also remain crunchy, creating contrast against the creamy Roquefort.

Because the cheese already provides plenty of richness and flavour, the salad does not need an additional creamy dressing or complicated garnish. Its appeal comes from the balance between bitter greens, tart apple, salty blue cheese, toasted nuts, and sharp vinaigrette.

Final Thoughts

This Salade d’Endives, Roquefort et Noix recipe proves that an elegant French salad can come together in minutes when the ingredients offer strong natural contrasts.

The Dijon vinaigrette brings the components together with olive oil, red wine vinegar, lemon, mustard, salt, and black pepper. The vinegar and lemon provide enough acidity to keep the salad fresh, while Dijon mustard adds the unmistakable sharpness associated with classic French dressings.

This refreshing Salade d’Endives, Roquefort et Noix recipe is a quick and elegant combination of crisp endive, tart apple, creamy blue cheese, toasted walnuts, and bright vinaigrette. Whether served as an appetizer, side dish, or light lunch, this classic French endive salad delivers bold flavour and satisfying texture in only 15 minutes.

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